Looking for an easy-to-carry-around camera. S50?

I'm looking for a small camera that I can easily carry with me while traveling or walking around town. I like the features on the S50 but I haven't seen one. Is it really small and portable?

The other camera I'm considering is a Minolta G500. That's a very sleek, compact camera but doesn't have some of the manual controls that the S50 has.

I'm open to other suggestions as well for other models. I'd like to have some control over aperture or speed, but portability is very important.

Thanks for any suggestions.
Jerry

I have had an S50 for about three months now and love it. It has many more functions than I will probably ever use but it is a blast to play with. Even Auto will give you some great prints by plugging the camera into the printer (Canon i560). I would highly recomend it. I also got the powershot case that fits the camera perfectly. On your belt you will forget it's there. Also consider a 256 card and extra battery comes in real handy.

Don't waste money on the Minolta. I was in the same predicament: the S50, S400, the Kyocera S5R and the Fuji F700. The S5R was pricey but featured manual controls with the size of the S400. The F700 Is an interpolated 6 MP but is light with little shutter lag. I opted for the S400 for simplicity, size and price. I have a case that I wear on my belt that is the size of a PDA. I don't regret my choice.

The 50 is nice but a little heavier. I don't like manual controls since I have an SLR and it takes away from just pointing and shooting spontaneously. If the 50 is going to be a primary cam, get it. If not, look at the S410 or S500.

I've bought an S500 I really like if that helps. Small and easy to use. Great pictures. And hey, my wife likes it too....

Do be aware these are small cameras - if you've really big hands try one on for size to be sure you are ergonomically comfortable with using one.

Software is good also - easy to learn and seems to work quite well.

I went with the S400 when making this decesion.. the S50 has a lot more to offer,.. but the whole point was to e the MOST protable.. not a compromise.. so I went withthe S400. i too have a little belt pack .. it's no larger than a cell phone.

:o I don't know how many mp the s50 has, so I can't really advise. However, don't go under 3mp. Sooner or later you'll want to get an enlargement to 8x10 and 3mp will do it fine. Of course 4mp is even better. I wouldn't go for 5mp unless you want to make 16x20 pictures or something in that range.

Canon S50

I have found this 5 MP digicam quite useful. I carry it in my pants pocket (no tight pants) without a problem. The many modes and settings seem endless ... resulting in many great pictures (at least I like them) ... and being 5 MP I can crop them to get what otherwise might be a 6X shot. Nice camera, nice images, easy to carry ... I like it.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I will take a second look at the S410 and 500 alongside the S50.

Jerry

If you decide on the S410 you might try to get an S400 and save yourself $50. The only difference I've been able to figure out from the specs was the S410 has the push to print function. I always edit my photos before printing so I went with the S400. Some places like Amazon were selling them for $319 for awhile to get them out of inventory (that's my guess)but have recently raised the price to match B&H at $349. Bought it for my wife who has small hands and just wanted to point and shoot. Good luck.

S400 compare with S410:

In addition to the new download button, the S410 comes with a "High Speed" CF card (not sure if this makes a difference)...

and the S410 has a "Quick Shot" mode that is supposed to reduce shutter lag, not sure if it is really effective...

Richard M

Yeah, that push-to-print Pictbridge is not that useful for serious photographers who edit their work and fine tune before printing.